Today's take: Help us Stock the Shelves, give a lift to those in need

Nov. 17, 2013

Written by

Press-Gazette Media

At the midway point of our annual Stock the Shelves campaign, one thing is very clear: We really need the community, which means you, to step up if we are going to reach our goal of raising $115,000 for local food pantries.

The story on Sunday's front page details the local pantries that will benefit from this year’s campaign. These are proven performers in the world of food pantries, and they support tens of thousands of people every year. Without great food pantries, those in need are forced to go without proper food and nutrition. That means putting kids to bed on an empty stomach. And it means a lot of moms and dads are left to wonder how many meals they will have to skip in a given week as they try to make ends meet.

For those of us fortunate enough to have plenty to eat, we should all make a commitment to put the money we might spend on one fast-food meal or a few cups of designer coffee toward the Stock the Shelves campaign. I know I have spent more than I would like to admit on fast food and expensive coffee this year, and I don’t think twice about it until we kick off our Stock the Shelves campaign. That’s when it hits me. The $5 I spend on a cup of coffee a few times a week, or the $7 I too often spend on a fast food lunch would go a long way to help feed a family in need.

We have to raise close to $90,000 in the next three weeks if we are going to hit our aggressive goal, and I hope you will find a way to help. And it would be great if you could challenge your friends and family members to do the same. While we have a long way to go and a short time to get there, the good news is there is still more than $25,000 in matching funds available. So, if you give $50 this week, that money will be matched by the great support of our partners, which include the J.J. Keller Foundation Inc., Express Convenience Centers and local credit unions in Brown County. If you give $1,000, that $1,000 will be matched. Those matching funds will not last forever, so now is the time to help

(Page 2 of 2)

In addition to our corporate sponsors, Press-Gazette Media has received outstanding support from the folks at Feeding America of Eastern Wisconsin and the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation, who help us make this huge undertaking a reality every year.

Not all charities are managed the same way, as you can see from the contrasting stories on today’s front page. What you should know is that Stock the Shelves is a charity without a staff. The money raised in our campaign goes directly to food pantries, which has a positive impact on our community. Approximately 97 cents of every dollar raised goes directly to the pantries, with a few cents on each dollar going toward the processing of credit cards. For checks and cash donations, every penny goes to the pantries. Not to boast, but you will find few charitable causes that are able to put that percentage of money directly to the source of need. For some charities, a lot of money is lost in overhead, salaries and miscellaneous expense items. Stock the Shelves is not one of those charities.

All the pieces are in place for us to surpass last year’s total, almost $100,000, but that will only happen if you find a way to help those less fortunate in our community. The corporate sponsors are amazing, the support team at GGBCF and Feeding America are second to none, but you are really the one who helps us sink or swim. All you have to do to help is fill out the form that appears on page D-8 of today’s paper, or go to ggbcf.org and look for the Stock the Shelves link and send your donation digitally.

I want to thank you in advance for deciding to help. Whether you are able to donate $10 or $1,000, your kindness will help put food in a cupboard that has been bare too long.